How to make a gladiator costume

Written by lisa russell

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Summon your inner warrior and be a gladiator for Halloween. These handsome ancient Roman warriors fought bravely for sport and entertainment of the masses. You can follow these instructions to create your own gladiator costume for Halloween for both adults and children.

Skill level:

Moderately Challenging

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Things you need

Pre-plastered casting sheets

Petroleum jelly

Bronze spray paint

6-inch wide strips of leather

Metal rivets

Knee length tunic (T-shirt will work)

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Instructions

1

Make a custom-fitted muscular breastplate by slathering your chest with petroleum jelly and placing sheets of pre-plastered casting material three layers thick. When it's dry, remove it and add extra sheeting to the areas where muscles would be, unless you happen to be very muscular. Sand it down with a fine grit sandpaper and paint it bronze when you're done.

2

Decide how long you want your "skirt" to be and cut each leather strip at the bottom end into a point, like a picket fence. Rivet the tops together until the top will fit around your waist and use a string of leather on each side to close it off and on.

3

Make a shield out of cardboard as well as a sword. If you can, head to the dollar store to see if there are inexpensive plastic versions of swords and shields. Lace-up leather sandals are the proper footwear for a gladiator costume.

Tips and warnings

If you're making a child's costume for a school or church party, be sure you check the policy about play weapons before you add a weapon to the costume. A shield might have to be good enough.